# CVE-2024-56669: iommu/vt-d: Remove cache tags before disabling ATS

> A use-after-free in the Linux kernel IOMMU driver can cause a system crash when multiple virtual functions are passed through to a user-space process.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 27 Dec 2024
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2024-56669, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-56669, GHSA-cm7x-4mvp-c2jf, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-56669

## What is CVE-2024-56669?

CVE-2024-56669 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 27 Dec 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

iommu/vt-d: Remove cache tags before disabling ATS

The current implementation removes cache tags after disabling ATS,
leading to potential memory leaks and kernel crashes. Specifically,
CACHE_TAG_DEVTLB type cache tags may still remain in the list even
after the domain is freed, causing a use-after-free condition.

This issue really shows up when multiple VFs from different PFs
passed through to a single user-space process via vfio-pci. In such
cases, the kernel may crash with kernel messages like:

 BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000014
 PGD 19036a067 P4D 1940a3067 PUD 136c9b067 PMD 0
 Oops: Oops: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP NOPTI
 CPU: 74 UID: 0 PID: 3183 Comm: testCli Not tainted 6.11.9 #2
 RIP: 0010:cache_tag_flush_range+0x9b/0x250
 Call Trace:
  <TASK>
  ? __die+0x1f/0x60
  ? page_fault_oops+0x163/0x590
  ? exc_page_fault+0x72/0x190
  ? asm_exc_page_fault+0x22/0x30
  ? cache_tag_flush_range+0x9b/0x250
  ? cache_tag_flush_range+0x5d/0x250
  intel_iommu_tlb_sync+0x29/0x40
  intel_iommu_unmap_pages+0xfe/0x160
  __iommu_unmap+0xd8/0x1a0
  vfio_unmap_unpin+0x182/0x340 [vfio_iommu_type1]
  vfio_remove_dma+0x2a/0xb0 [vfio_iommu_type1]
  vfio_iommu_type1_ioctl+0xafa/0x18e0 [vfio_iommu_type1]

Move cache_tag_unassign_domain() before iommu_disable_pci_caps() to fix
it.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference), CWE-401 (Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime), CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-56669?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-56669?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-56669 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-56669 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-56669 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-56669 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 27 Dec 2024. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-56669 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-56669/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-56669/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-56669
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-56669
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-56669

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-56669/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.